Here's a fun weekend road trip! The Tree Climbing Championship takes place in Northwest Arkansas this Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6, in Bentonville, Arkansas. The public will have the opportunity to witness an exciting contest as dozens of competitors from across the United States swing through tree branches to compete in the inaugural event of the Natural State Tree Climbing Championship (NSTCC).

There is no fee for spectators, who are invited to bring a lawn chair and stay a while at this family-friendly event. With its towering trees for the competitors to demonstrate their skills, the site for NSTCC, which was generously donated by Crystal Bridges, is 1107 NE J Street, Bentonville.  
According to a press release, the event on Saturday, May 5, starts at 8AM and will finish when all competitors have completed their events sometime in the late afternoon. The Master’s challenge on Sunday, May 6, will begin at 9AM and finish around mid-day.
The first tree climbing competitions were held in California as a way to train for the classic skills that would prepare a climber equipped with nothing more than a rope to perform life-saving aerial rescues.
Wearing hard hats and climbing harnesses, competitors will take part in four events that simulate working conditions that arborists encounter in the field, Throwline, Open Ascent, Work Climb and Aerial Rescue. These serve to qualify the competitors for the Masters’ Challenge Championship, where the top men and women finishers from the preliminary round on Saturday, May 5, advance to the Masters’ Challenge on Sunday, May 6.

 

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